ESPN touts its WrestleMania 42 coverage

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

ESPN issued the following press release on Wednesday to promote its WrestleMania 42 coverage.

ESPN will deliver comprehensive on-site coverage of WrestleMania 42 from Las Vegas, Nev., beginning Thursday, April 16, culminating with WrestleMania 42 Nights 1 and 2 live from Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19.

WrestleMania 42, along with the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and select pre-event and post-event programming, will stream exclusively in the U.S. on the ESPN App and be available to fans with an ESPN Unlimited plan — either directly or through a traditional pay TV package. For the first time ever, the opening hour of both nights of WrestleMania will be live on ESPN linear networks, with Night 1 beginning Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and Night 2 starting Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN, ahead of full event coverage streaming on the ESPN App. Additional coverage throughout WrestleMania week will be available across ESPN platforms, including ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App.

On Saturday, WrestleMania 42 Night 1’s opening hour on ESPN2 features a six‑man tag team match between LA Knight, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso against Logan Paul, Austin Theory and IShowSpeed, along with an Unsanctioned Match between Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu. Night 1’s main event — the Undisputed WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes (c) and Randy Orton — will stream exclusively on the ESPN App.

On Sunday, WrestleMania 42 Night 2’s opening hour on ESPN includes Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar and an Intercontinental Championship ladder match featuring Penta (c), Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, Rusev and Rey Mysterio. Night 2’s main event — the World Heavyweight Championship match between CM Punk (c) and Roman Reigns — will stream exclusively on the ESPN App.

The full WrestleMania 42 match card and viewing schedule can be found here.

Throughout WrestleMania week, ESPN will originate studio programming and live events from key locations across Las Vegas, including WWE World, Toshiba Plaza, Allegiant Stadium and Dolby Live at Park MGM. SportsCenter coverage will be led on site by Randy Scott, Gary Striewski, Treavor Scales and Joe Fortenbaugh, delivering live reporting, fan engagement and behind the scenes storytelling throughout the week. Scott, Striewski and Scales will explore WWE World and fan experiences across Las Vegas and will interview and talk with WWE Superstars on site, while Scales and Fortenbaugh will be positioned for post-match coverage and reaction throughout WrestleMania weekend. First Take will originate from Las Vegas as part of ESPN’s on-site coverage, featuring Shae Cornette, Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins live Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m. from Allegiant Stadium.

Coverage also includes No Contest Wrestling, hosted by O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson, airing Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 during WrestleMania week, alongside the WrestleMania 42 Kickoff Show, Countdown to WrestleMania 42, Nights 1 and 2 of WrestleMania and the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

WWE Superstars will appear across ESPN platforms throughout WrestleMania week, with dozens of guest appearances spanning SportsCenter, First Take, Get Up, Unsportsmanlike, No‑Contest Wrestling, ESPN Deportes programming and ESPN Social. Appearances throughout the week will include some of WWE’s biggest names, including Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, AJ Lee, Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch, Trick Williams, Jade Cargill, Dominik Mysterio and Drew McIntyre, among others, leading into WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

Additionally, Joe Tessitore, Peter Rosenberg and Big E will be featured in studio on ESPN platforms as part of WrestleMania week programming.

As part of ESPN’s broader WrestleMania week presence in Las Vegas, ESPN will also deliver a series of immersive on-site fan experiences designed to bring fans closer to WrestleMania. Activations include a WWE themed wedding experience marrying WWE superfans in ceremonies officiated by WWE Superstar The Miz, as well as interactive installations within WWE World. Fans will be able to enter through a co-branded ESPN and WWE Tunnel Entrance, transforming WWE World into an immersive celebration of ESPN as the home of WrestleMania and WWE Premium Live Events. Additional experiences include a Top Rope Leap photo activation, allowing fans to jump from the ropes into a landing pad in their favorite wrestling pose, with digital photos captured and turned into collectible trading cards in collaboration with Topps.

ESPN Social
ESPN social platforms will deliver multi-platform coverage throughout WrestleMania week. ESPN’s social media specialists will be on site in Las Vegas at WWE World and both nights of WrestleMania 42, capturing real-time moments, behind-the-scenes access and fan reactions from across the city.

Coverage will include premium creator-led storytelling and influencer integrations, highlighted by ESPN Digital & Social Commentator Omar Raja executing the Golden Ticket fan experience. ESPN will also leverage its relationship with OVO to incorporate whitelisted Drake tracks on TikTok and Instagram, elevating original WrestleMania video edits.

Additional social activations include first-person POV coverage and fan storytelling with creator Elizabeth Eats, WWE World and on-site coverage with the Haroon Twins, and an ESPN Deportes-focused collaboration spotlighting Hispanic WWE Superstars with SoyEduardoBates.

ESPN Social’s comprehensive WrestleMania presence will span live event coverage, talent collaborations and culturally relevant storytelling across platforms throughout the week.

ESPN.com
ESPN.com will provide comprehensive editorial coverage of WrestleMania 42 throughout the week, featuring original reporting, long form features and historical storytelling from ESPN’s WWE contributors.

Feature stories include WrestleMania Rank: Top 10 WrestleMania Moments, part of ESPN’s broader WrestleMania initiative, ranking the most iconic, show stopping moments across more than 40 years of WWE history. ESPN.com will also publish a feature by Dotun Akintoye examining how WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman transformed himself into a larger-than-life figure in sports entertainment, often at the expense of his personal relationships.

Additional coverage, including previews and on-site reporting, will roll out across ESPN.com during WrestleMania week.

ESPN WrestleMania 42 programming schedule

*Available only to ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers.

Powell’s POV: So the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will only be available on ESPN Unlimited. It was previously listed as being on the ESPN app, but this press release specifies that it’s on the Unlimited side of the app. Perhaps R-Truth could break that down for me next time.

(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)